Visiting the Giant of Provence

Maggie and I have been in Provence for a week or so.  We went on Chris Ellison's CTC Holiday based in the pretty town of Buis les Baronnies.  We've been before, a few years ago, but it seemed about time to go back and get some early summer sunshine.  Our friends Ian and Annie Birch were acting as tour leaders, so good riding was pretty much guaranteed.

Well, we certainly got the sunshine, with temperatures in the early part of the week over 40 degrees.  That was a bit of a trial for all of the party - we Brits simply aren't acclimatised to this sort of heat - so we were glad when the temperatures dropped a bit to the high twenties, which we could cope with.

The riding was indeed good, and the other members of the party were a cheerful crowd, so we had an enjoyable time.  The routes haven't changed since our last visit - no harm in that - but we did take the opportunity to explore a bit on our own, which we enjoyed.

The tradition of the holiday is to ride up Mont Ventoux on the Saturday.  The route taken is the ascent from Sault.  We've done this a number of times, so we thought we'd give the somewhat harder route from Malaucène a shot.  This is quite a pull, more than 1500 metres of ascent in 21 kms of riding, but it worked out fine and was a very enjoyable climb.  The final couple of kms aren't easy, but the views are spectacular, as is the descent.  84 kph, which is over 50 mph ....

The demographics of cycling are changing, if this holiday was anything to go by.  In the five years since we last went it was noticeable that travel by the Bike Bus had changed from almost everyone to almost no-one.  Most people flew, most of the rest drove.  Equally, the leathery old cycle-tourist with a faded Carradice has pedalled off down the road.  Many of the party were younger, drawn from the sportive and triathlon crowd.  There was one venerable Claude Butler, but most of the bikes were fancy race kit, with Pinarello and Wilier well represented.  Several of the party wanted more challenging riding, and it was easy for them to do this with the flexible routes provided, so everyone achieved or exceeded what they wanted to do.

The area is hugely popular for cycling at this time of the year, and there is a lot of investment in cycling infrastructure.  Many of the larger roads have cycle-lanes, Boris style, alongside the carriageway.  For narrower roads this is only done on the ascent, which is sensible and works well.  Surfaces are good, with, as ever, new tarmac being laid for the Tour de France routes.  And the local authority has some handy orange lorries with a rotating sweeping brush across the front.  These go around each morning ensuring that the cycle routes are clear - no punctures here.

If you're looking for good riding, good weather and good food, this trip is hard to beat.

Mark